I think the cage makes the car look even more bad ***. Even though I don't plan on doing competition, that cage makes me want to.

 

We're chipping away at some of the other parts for the car, and two that people keep asking about are roll hoop covers and the passenger tonneau hard cover. The tonneau is really made for the guy who is going to set this car up as a solo speedster. With the tonneau, single screen and single roll hoop, the car will have very, very good aerodynamics.

Since we've shortened the hood and extended the cabin behind the seats by hand, these measurements aren't in any CAD files. In order to make the tonneau we're using new and old tech. First, a styrofoam buck has been cnc machined in the exact shape of the car. We can then cut this shape down to the shape of the tonneau and work with it from there, or make a female of the shape, and then a male part, and then make a mold from that male part.

Even with technology, these parts are all very labor intensive and the thousands of dollars in tooling usually ends up in the dumpster at the end.

 

Yep, that's sexy.

 

And for rain all you would need is a F-16ish plastic bubble that you snap on over yourself with 360 visibility!

OK that would probably look stupid, but it would be sweet.

 

I like that idea.

 

We're about to open a mold for that custom rear view mirror next, and a full-width plexi screen should be ready to fit next week.

 

Okay, I've been on this forum long enough. I guess it's time to actually TURBO the Catfish. I went back and forth as to whether I should swap the 1.6 for a 1.8, build up the 1.8 prior to the turbo, etc. BUT, I'm working mule #1...the car that started with an $800 donor Miata. It's great fun with the stock 1.6 now, and will be even more fun with twice the horsepower. We'll make the next one a beast...

While we wait for Flyin' Miata to deliver our package o' fun, I put some new aluminum strakes on the diffuser. They cut right through the wind. And cheese. And bologna. And assorted woodland critters that wander in our path.

 

Nice work as usual...! Props!

 

Finally the monster has awakened.

 

Sooo, even with a 1.6 we're probably talking between 7:1 and 8:1 horsepower to weight ratio. That's better than a 2014 Cayman S (9:1) or 911 Carrera.

 

Eh go for the 1.8 if you want to build it. Search except for the 1 or 2 members that turboed a 1.6 and defend it, everyone else will confirm building a 1.8 is money better spent.

A 300whp isnt hard to achieve from a built motor.

The cat fish will fly.

 

GOOD LORD WHAT IS THAT?!

This is Catfish #1....the one that's been to two SEMA shows and started with an $800 NA donor. The next car will have a built 1.8, but this one is supposed to show what's possible even with the teeniest engine. No, this is it. I need to stop tweaking on this car and move on to the next car.

 

The Catfish has been pimped out to a high end car and home audio show in Newport Beach this weekend. Check out T.H.E. Show Newport Beach May 31 - June 2, 2013 Entrance for more information.

While it means I won't be wrenching on the car this weekend, I did start working on the turbo setup. The Flyin' Miata cast manifold was ceramic coated in titanium silver and the inconel studs were installed. I then added the Churbo and clocked the snail so it pointed the right way.

Since the car has a water bypass setup it means that I'll need to make some custom water lines for the turbo. The oil should be reasonably easy. There's plenty of room for the IC, so hopefully the install will be nice and smooth. Now if I can only find the time.

 

So, when are you bringing Catfish body and frame kits to the market?

 

On sale now. We just made frame 10, which is our first all TIG welded frame. Flyin' Miata is almost done with their car.

 

After all this time posting on MT I finally went out and put a turbo in the Catfish.

I took the time to ceramic coat the FM exhaust log and to clean up the stock 1.6 intake manifold, and even clean up the wiring a bit.

It's a 2560 chinacharger with an exhaust that unfortunately didn't fit the FM outlet. Custom it is.

The turbo water lines are incorporated into the existing DIY water bypass. It worked out well because the Kia water inlet has a threaded boss that allows us to grab the cool water from the radiator. The hot stuff is dumped back into the mix at the back of the engine so the turbo coolant never goes through the block. The oil coolant routing is standard.

The IC fits really well and went on without having to relocate the radiator. There's a bit of clean-up of sharp edges and potential items that may rub, but it's all small stuff.

The only big thing left is the mid-pipe from the turbo. Once that's done we're in business.

 

I have nothing constructive to say other then your last post made me so happy. I can't wait to see video's of this thing with a turbo!

 

I hate to trifle but it appears the hot water is coming from the back of the head to the turbo and then that hotter water goes into the inlet of the mixing manifold and then into the water pump and engine. That is unless you are running an external aftermarket water pump and a reverse flow cooling system with a gutted stock water pump (like Miata2Fast).

 

Thats the direction it travels when the car is running. It should, in theory, travel the other way when the car is hot and off. I did mine that way, because it was easy.

 

Trifle, trifle! This is my first turbo install and I'm learning as I go. Of course it helps to start with the FM kit, but we're always trying to fit the solutions to the car.

The water coolant lines aren't yet bolted down as we are waiting for a couple of adapters, but the intention is to push cold water up to the turbo and then dump it out after the block. It seemed the cleanest and most efficient way, especially since we'd already done the coolant reroute.

The car is at RPM now (Richard's Performance Muffler) for a custom dump pipe, which is the last main piece of the puzzle.